Choose Wisely: Milwaukee M18 Top Handle VS M18 Hatchet

We were asked why would someone need the Milwaukee top handle chainsaw when they already have the hatchet? We compare and test them out.

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[shaneoakley]

I think it’s funny how people have such a hard time fighting the habit of pulsing the throttle trigger like they are revving a gas engine. These saws are amazing. I have both

[tgsgardenmaintenance]

I bought the M12 hatchet for pruning, for which it's excellent. The M18 hatchet was just too expensive, but was surprisingly similar in size and weight. That top handle though, looks a great bit of kit!!

[pointedspider]

Lol. I put a 20in bar in my 16 and a 16 on the 14. Works great

[racebiketuner]

I'm not surprised the Hatchet did OK with the humungous bar. I've cut several dozen 13" logs with my Hackzall 2719-21 (brushless motor with 7/8" stroke) using a Diablo 12" 3 TPI carbide pruning blade - and a few that were even larger. Not something I'd recommend to amateurs! Great care is required to keep the cut clear of chips and it's only possible with a fresh blade. Also need to stop as soon as the housing gets warm and resume after things cool down. I learned the hard way this tool does not have a 100% duty cycle!

[Motor-City_Ben-Diesel]

M12 Hatchet with the longer m18 hatchet bar is a little trick and it works awesome if you want to cut slightly bigger stuff than the m12 bar allows you to.

[johnloran]

Nice video as always 👍 I have both and the top handle is a beast. The hatchet struggles with back cuts using the top of the bar because of slow chain speed but the torque is very impressive! The hatchet is perfect for topping hedges because its so light and easy to climb with.

[leewright]

Any chance of repeating the test with equal batteries?

While I assume the top handle is going to be a lot quicker I can’t help but think the chain speed might have been better on the hatchet with the 8ah battery that the top handle was using.

[inlinesix]

How did y’all swap bars and chains? Isn’t one .325 and the other 3/8 chain. Did y’all swap the sprockets

[davebloggs]

Nice video. just a quick question have you used the 12 ah hd battery and basically cut until the battery is dead? if so roughly how long did it last and how many cuts, I do a lot of dead fall clearing on trails in the mountains and im thinking of getting one. . also the throttle pulsing hahahaha just thought I would mention that.

[patterdalezipsuzilil]

Don't try this at home what do you realy think people are now going to do

[Premier_lawns_official]

The helmets are fantastic, help though if you remember to get the ear muffs too! My top handled arrived this week. I will need to get a video organised

[DutchPadgett]

I wish you switched it for the bigger batter also... Thanks for the good video!

[rcaspilot]

I have the hatchet M18, nothing short of amazing, nuff said.

[TheTravismiller]

great video mate, I just came home with the rear handled 14 inch, I went in thinking id get the top handle, felt them both and liked the rear more, but then i see you handling it like its nimble and solid, I dunno, hope i like the rear handle. I was eyeballing the hatchets too and they look great both m12 and 18 but i chose what I chose lol again you video was awesome to see what I was looking at, wish I saw it yesterday haha got a sub from me keep up the great work

[jetegtmeier]

you turned the hatchet into the machete :)

[UltimateToolReviews]

Never been a fan of the pruning saws, the top handles seem to work just fine for everything.

[drwisdom]

We don't view this as a choice between the M18 standard chainsaw or the M18 baby chainsaw. We have a Stihl gas chainsaw that we use to cut down trees. Before they can be cut into logs the limbs have to be cut off. The Stihl is quite heavy and large making it challenging and dangerous to limb the downed tree. So we bought the M18 baby chainsaw for just the purpose of limbing. It is small and nimble but still powerful enough to cut off thick branches. It takes the most stressful part of the job and makes it safe, easy, and quiet. The M18 standard chainsaw isn't as good at limbing due to its size, it is designed for thicker wood. Now my wife does the limbing rather than me doing all the cutting.

[billybm]

Build quality on that hatchet is better. Top handle has a lot of cheap/bad design inners. The top handle has more power but drains your battery faster while doing the same cuts. It’s worth it if you plan on cutting much bigger wood than 7dbh. If not then the hatchet is far more efficient and lighter.

[VanDrp]

Does anyone know if you can pit a 1/4p 12” bar and chain on the hatchet? I love my Makita XCU06Z because it accepts the 12” bar and chain that fits in the Stihl 150.

[jamesconnell]

You rev the motor as if it were gas powered...old habits?